New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has refused Uttar Pradesh government's offer of Z category security to him. The Uttar Pradesh government had decided to give Z category security to Kejriwal days after the Aam Aadmi Party office in Kaushambi was attacked by the Hindu Raksha Dal on Wednesday.
Arvind Kejriwal had in December too refused to accept the security cover offered by Uttar Pradesh Police seeking to end the VIP culture. The Delhi Police too has said that it will deploy security cover at AAP offices forcibly as it has to ensure the CM's security.
In fact on Thursday, a plea was hurriedly made in the Delhi High Court for directions to Arvind Kejriwal not refuse security offered to him. An advocate mentioned the issue before a bench of justices BD Ahmed and Siddharth Mridul and was asked by it to file a proper petition which will come up for hearing in due course. "The Chief Minister is refusing security offered to him by the Delhi Police time and again. He is exposing himself and his cabinet ministers to grave danger," advocate Anoop Awasthi submitted before the bench.
He sought directions to the Centre, Government of National Capital Territory and Delhi Police to provide Kejriwal round-the-clock security. Awasthi said, "India has lost many leaders in attacks and it is a prevalent demand of residents of Delhi that Kejriwal should take security cover." He contended, "Since the Chief Minister is not an individual in isolation but an institution himself, he can be subjected to directions issued by a constitutional court."
Awasthi sought an urgent hearing of the matter on the ground that the AAP headquarters was attacked this morning and that there is a threat to his security, but the bench refused the plea, saying, "That is for the security agencies to look after."
Activists of a right-wing group on Wednesday attacked and vandalised the AAP headquarters in Kaushambi, Uttar Pradesh with bricks and stones to protest against party leader Prashant Bhushan's remarks on referendum in Kashmir.
Around 40 activists of Hindu Raksha Dal broke flower pots kept outside the AAP's office, barely a kilometer from his residence and tore party posters. Some glass doors were also smashed in the attack. There were no security personnel present at the party office as Kejriwal has turned down the security offered to him by Ghaziabad and Delhi Police.
In his plea for providing security cover to Kejriwal, Awasthi said, "No one can be permitted to expose himself or others to lethal danger because of personal, political or ideological reasons because right to life and personal liberty does not include right to jeopardise right to life and personal liberty of self and others." He submitted, "Safety of the Chief Minister is not only his personal issue but the issue of the state and security agencies.
The safety of the Council of Ministers, officers and general public visiting the Chief Minister is dependent upon his decision to not to take security." The advocate said that with Kejriwal refusing security, it has become a "very difficult" task for the Delhi Police to arrange for his safety.
"Ten times more cops are being deployed and ten times more expenditure is being incurred now to keep him safe with no fool proof security yet," he said.
(With additional information from PTI)
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